JP2001067122A - Method for diagnosing ladder program and equipment diagnostic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ladder program diagnostic method and an equipment diagnostic device capable of easily releasing a trouble in equipment to be controlled at its sequence and shortening release time. SOLUTION: The equipment diagnostic device 3 is constituted of a detection means 4, a cause tracing means 5, a display means 6 consisting of a monitor, and a storage means 7. A sequencer 2 for controlling equipment transmits/ receives controlling output and input signals Y, X to/from equipment 1 such as a robot, and when abnormality occurs in the equipment 1, the sequencer 2 sends a signal indicating the occurrence of abnormality to the device 3. The detection means 4 in the device 3 detects the occurrence of abnormality in the equipment 1 from the detection signal indicating the occurrence of abnormality and the tracing means 5 uses the detection signal inputted from the means 4 as a trigger and executes the tracing of a cause and the diagnosis of a trouble point from a rudder program stored in the storage means 7 and contact information indicating the operation state of the program on the basis of a cause tracing program (algorithm).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing a ladder program used in a programmable controller and an equipment diagnosis apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional example of this kind of diagnostic method and apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-97318.

In this conventional example, each time a sequencer executes a program, the state change of a sequence element is read and recorded in a time series, and another element having a certain regularity with respect to the operation of the specified sequence element. The information is extracted and the change information is put together to automatically create a diagnostic reference pattern.

[0004]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since a state change of a sequence element is recorded in a time series and a reference is created therefrom, an accurate diagnostic reference cannot be generated. The problem was that it was poor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to perform highly reliable diagnosis and to easily recover from trouble of equipment to be controlled by a sequencer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ladder program diagnosis method and a facility diagnosis device capable of reducing time.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an equipment which operates by sequence control by a sequencer is targeted, and an abnormality occurs while the equipment is operating. Is detected by the detection means,
Using the detection signal output from the detection means as a trigger, the cause of the abnormality is tracked and diagnosed by the cause tracking means based on the ladder program of the sequencer and the contact information, and the cause of the abnormality is displayed on the display means as the diagnosis result. And storing in the storage means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, in the step of tracking the contact point of the cause from the ladder program and the contact information by using the detection signal as a trigger, the cause tracking means transmits the detection signal. Tracking is started from the output command of the ladder program as a trigger, and if there is an internal relay, the process of tracking the internal relay coil is repeated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, in the step of tracking the point of contact from the ladder program and the contact information using the detection signal as a trigger, the ladder program In the case of OR branching, all chained operations are branched and traced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, in the step of tracking the point of contact from the ladder program and the contact information using the detection signal as a trigger, the ladder program When AND connection is made and there are a plurality of defective contacts, all chain operations are tracked.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the cause tracking means determines a faulty contact in the process of tracking a cause contact from the ladder program and the contact information by using the detection signal as a trigger. Hits the,
The determination is performed in consideration of a rising command of the input signal.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the cause tracking means determines a faulty contact in the process of tracking the cause contact from the ladder program and the contact information by using the detection signal as a trigger. Hits the,
The determination is made in consideration of the logic of turning off the contact a and the logic of turning on the contact b.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the cause tracking means limits the range when the cause of the abnormality is tracked, and traces the cause within the limited range. .

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the cause tracking means traces a cause contact from the ladder program and the contact information by using the detection signal as a trigger, and then displays the faulty contact on the display means. In the process of displaying, information on all the faulty contacts is externally output.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, a rule used for diagnosing a faulty contact point and a cause of the abnormality is an IF to THEN rule, and a rule base is constructed by the rule. Features.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, a defective portion corresponding to a defective contact is visualized and displayed on the display means.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, a diagnostic result is generated based on the detected result and a diagnostic rule predetermined in a rule base. It is characterized by ranking and outputting.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the equipment is a cylinder, and means for judging overtime of the cylinder operation from the fact that a contact that operates at the end of the cylinder operation does not operate is detected. It is characterized in that it is used as a means.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when diagnosing a cause of an abnormality in real time from the ladder program of the sequencer and the contact information, the ladder program is expanded into an instruction list. Characterize.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the thirteenth aspect, the on state or the off state of the contact is replaced with a binary logical value, and when the ladder program is expanded into an instruction list, the contact list is added to the instruction list. Wherein the logical value is added in accordance with the state of (1).

According to a fifteenth aspect, in the thirteenth aspect, the on state or the off state of the contact is replaced with a binary logical value, and when the ladder program is expanded into an instruction list, the contact list is stored in the instruction list. The logical value is added according to a state, and the ladder program is developed into an instruction list in an execution order opposite to the execution order in the added state.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the fifteenth aspect, the instruction list in the reverse execution order is expanded from an output instruction to a logical operation start instruction as one unit. It is characterized by.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the sixteenth aspect, the one unit is grouped for each block of the equipment to limit the cause unit of cause tracking.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the seventeenth aspect, the groups have a hierarchical structure.

According to a nineteenth aspect, in the first aspect, the detecting means monitors an input / output signal in real time and, when detecting that a specific output signal has not been output, detects the detection signal. The trigger signal is provided to the cause tracking means.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the detecting means provides a detection signal as a trigger signal to the cause tracking means when detecting that the equipment has stopped abnormally. .

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the detecting means monitors an input / output signal in real time and detects that a specific output signal has deviated from a predetermined reference pattern. And providing a detection signal as a trigger signal to the cause tracking means.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the block of the equipment to be diagnosed in real time and the contents of the diagnosis are set as test conditions before executing the cause tracking.

According to a twenty-third aspect, in the first aspect, when an abnormality is detected during control of the equipment,
It is characterized in that one or a plurality of contents at the time of executing a diagnosis by triggering the cause tracking means are selected and set.

The invention of claim 24 is directed to equipment which operates under sequence control by a sequencer, a detecting means for detecting when an abnormality occurs during the operation of the equipment, and a detecting signal of the detecting means. A cause tracking means for tracing the cause of the abnormality as a trigger by using the ladder program and the contact information, a storage means for storing the cause of the abnormality and a ladder program which are tracked and diagnosed by the cause tracking means, and a display of the cause of the abnormality And display means.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect, in the twenty-fourth aspect, an algorithm of a faulty contact diagnosis method, a faulty contact characteristic method and a cause tracking method for inferring a ladder program, and a knowledge base comprising rules for diagnosis are provided. The cause tracking means, based on the rule of the knowledge veil and the algorithm based on the detection signal of the detection means as a trigger, to perform cause tracking and diagnosis by a ladder program and contact information, I do.

According to a twenty-sixth aspect, in the twenty-sixth aspect, the algorithm and the knowledge base are mounted on a sequencer, and the cause tracking means and the detection means are constituted by the arithmetic processing means of the sequencer. Features.

[0032]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 2 shows a basic configuration of a ladder program diagnosis system comprising a diagnosis device using the diagnosis method of the present invention.
, A sequencer (programmable controller) 2 for equipment control, and an equipment diagnostic device 3 composed of a computer. As shown in FIG. 1, the equipment diagnosis apparatus 3 includes a detection unit 4, a cause tracking unit 5, a display unit 6 including a monitor, and a storage unit 7.

The equipment control sequencer 2 exchanges a control output signal Y and an input signal X with the equipment 1 such as a robot. The equipment control sequencer 2 supplies a signal indicating occurrence of an abnormality to the equipment diagnosis device 3.

The detecting means 4 of the equipment diagnosing device 3 is means for detecting the occurrence of an abnormality in the equipment 1 from the signal indicating the occurrence of the abnormality, and the cause tracking means 5 stores the detection signal of the detecting means 4 as a trigger. Sequencer 2 stored in means 7
The ladder program and the contact information indicating the operating state of the contact are used to track the cause and diagnose the faulty contact based on a cause tracking program (algorithm). The occurrence cause obtained by the diagnosis is stored in the storage means 7. 3 and a function of displaying a diagnosis result on the display means 6.
A series of processing operations are performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The ladder program stored in the storage means 7 is obtained by compiling a ladder diagram input to the sequencer 2 by a support device or the like into a predetermined intermediate language, for example, as shown in FIG. The ladder program described by the ladder diagram is stored in an instruction format (IL: INSTRUCTION LIST) shown in FIG. 4B. Of course, it may be stored in a similar mnemonic expression. In FIG. 4B, the numbers at the left end are the line numbers of the list, the LD, AND,.
The right end shows an element number indicating a contact point or the like. By expanding to such an instruction list, it is possible to track and diagnose the cause of the fault in real time.

Here, the equipment diagnosing device 3 executes a ladder program (sequence program) of the equipment 1 in which a target to be diagnosed in real time by performing abnormality tracking on the equipment 1 in real time as a test condition from a keyboard or the like. Whether to use all or a ladder program (sequence program) for a specific block can be set in advance, and the diagnostic content can be set.

That is, in the process of tracing the cause, the range for tracing the cause of the abnormality from the detection signal of the occurrence of the abnormality is limited as a diagnostic block, and the cause is traced within the limited range to simplify the path for tracing the cause. In addition, the efficiency of the cause tracking can be improved. FIG.
Indicates a state in which the equipment 1 is divided into a plurality of blocks, such as blocks BL1, BL2, and BL3. The ladder program corresponding to each is divided in advance and stored in the storage means 7. FIG. 6A shows the block BL.
6 is a ladder diagram of the ladder program of block BL2, and FIG. 6B is a ladder diagram of the ladder program of block BL2.

Therefore, when the occurrence of an abnormality is detected, the cause tracking means 5 reads the ladder program corresponding to the block in which the abnormality has occurred from the storage means 7 and tracks the cause. It is determined whether the target for which the cause is to be tracked is all blocks or a specific block, and the diagnostic content is determined.

That is, by doing so, the range of tracing the cause of the ladder program is limited, the tracing path can be simplified, and the efficiency of the cause tracing (diagnosis) can be improved.

First, the following methods (1) to (4) are employed as a method for detecting an abnormality of the equipment 1 which triggers the start of cause tracking.

Method In this method, the input signal X and the output signal Y are monitored in real time in the sequencer 2, and when a specific output signal Y is desired to be output, the occurrence of an abnormality is detected because the output signal Y is absent. Then, the detection signal is sent to the cause tracking means 5.

In this case, for example, in a normal state, output signals Y10 to Y13 are output as shown in FIG.
For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a specific output signal, in this case Y1
When it is detected that the signal 3 has not been output for a certain period of time, the cause tracking means 5 starts the cause tracking / diagnosis using this detection as a trigger.

Method In this method, when the sequencer 2 receives an input signal X indicating that the equipment 1 has stopped abnormally and has entered the abnormal stop mode, it is detected that an abnormality has occurred, and the detection signal is transmitted through the detection means 4. The cause is sent to the cause tracking means 5, and the cause tracking means 5 starts the cause tracking / diagnosis triggered by this detection.

Method In this method, the input signal X and the output signal Y are monitored in real time as in the method, and the case where a specific output signal Y is not output is regarded as abnormal. When the output signal Y11 is used as a reference signal with respect to the normal state in which the output signals Y10 to Y13 are output at such timing, for example, as shown in FIG.
If it is deviated, it is determined that diagnosis is necessary, and an abnormality detection signal is sent to the cause tracking means 5. This output signal Y
In the case of deviation, although the equipment 1 is operating normally, diagnosis is often required, so that it is detected as an abnormal occurrence as described above. In the case of this method, a tool for detecting a deviation of the output signal Y from the reference signal from the time chart exists as a unit of the sequencer 2.

Method In addition to the above methods 1 and 2, when the equipment 1 is a cylinder, the abnormality of the cylinder is detected by the following method. That is, in the equipment 1 including the cylinder 100 ([Y20] indicates an output signal) as shown in FIG. 11 and the reed switches 101A and 101B interlocked with the operation of the cylinder, as shown in the ladder diagram of FIG. When the ladder program is constructed, when the movement of the cylinder 100 is started, first, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the internal contact R10 of the internal relay in the ON state and the reed switch 101B in the non-driven state are used in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 13D, an output signal [Y20] is obtained as shown in FIG. 13C through the b-contact X15 in the ON state. Next, the reed switch 101A is not driven by the movement of the cylinder 100 and the a contact X14 is turned off, but the output signal [Y20] is maintained on by the self-holding contact Y20.

If it is normal, the operation of the cylinder 100 is completed, and the reed switch 101B is driven.
The contact X15 turns off. Therefore, the output signal [Y20] of the cylinder 100 is turned off.

However, when the cylinder 100 is clogged and cannot be completely operated, the reed switch 101B is not driven, and the b contact X15 is kept on.
In other words, a contact operation state as shown in the ladder diagram of FIG. 12 occurs. Therefore, the detecting means 10 of the cause tracking means 5 detects that the contact b of the reed switch 101B does not turn on for a certain time after the operation of the cylinder 100 when the output signal [Y10] is in the on state for a certain time or more after the operation of the cylinder 100 starts. By doing so, an abnormality can be detected.

In the ladder diagram of FIG. 12, a symbol with a black mark in the symbol of the a contact or the b contact and the symbol of the output signal indicates an on state and an off state without the symbol. That is, the contact information is shown. The same applies to a ladder diagram showing an operation state used in the following description.

As described above, the abnormality detection method for the cylinder and the methods (1) to (4) are provided in an appropriate combination, and the abnormality is detected by each method.

If there is a trigger for detecting the occurrence of an abnormality by the above-mentioned method (1), the cause tracking means 5 tracks the cause based on a cause tracking program (algorithm).

As this tracking method, the ladder program is traced from the output command (output coil) of the ladder program stored in the storage means 7 so as to return to the previous step, and there is an internal relay contact R. In such a case, the process of tracking the internal relay coil [R] is repeated.

FIG. 14 is a ladder diagram showing a contact operation state according to a certain ladder program. In the contact operation state shown in the ladder diagram, when the output signal [Y10] is detected as an abnormal contact, the ladder program is activated. From the output signal [Y10], the ladder program returns to the previous step, and coverage diagnosis for specifying a defective contact is performed while confirming each contact state.

Here, the cause of the output signal [Y10] not being turned on is diagnosed by sequentially returning to the steps. First, the series (AN
D) Connected internal relay contacts R0. Check R11 and R10, and in this series connected internal relay contact,
11, the internal relay contact R11 is determined to be an abnormal internal relay contact. The internal relay coil [R11] corresponding to the internal relay contact R11 does not turn on because the input contact X10 OR-connected to a self-holding circuit composed of a series circuit of another internal relay contact R11 and the internal relay contact R0. X12, internal relay contact R13
Is diagnosed, the input contact X10 is not turned on.

As described above, when the defective contact is the input contact X
It can be diagnosed as 10.

When the abnormality is detected, the tracing is started from the output instruction in the ladder program, and the cause of the defect is traced and diagnosed.

In the case of the contact operation state shown in the ladder diagram of FIG. 12, since the b contact X15 of the reed switch 101B is not turned on, it is possible to immediately diagnose the cause of the abnormality when the cylinder 100 is overtime, It is possible to avoid false reports of diagnosis and improve reliability.

In tracing the cause, if the target ladder program has an OR branch, all the chained operations are branched and traced.

That is, when a trouble has occurred in the equipment 1, many of them may remain off where some output signal Y should be on.

At this time, the output signal Y is the A of the input signal X.
It is generated by a combination of ND and OR, and in most cases, the cause is that the input signal X is not turned on.

It is very difficult for an operator or a maintenance person of the equipment to perform this cause analysis. If the diagnosis is automatically made in real time and the OR branch is made so that the trouble can be identified, all the chain operations are branched. An algorithm to be traced is implemented in the storage means 7 as a cause tracking algorithm. When the ladder program branches in an OR manner, the cause tracking means 5 performs a coverage diagnosis for specifying a faulty contact by the algorithm.

For example, in the ladder program shown in the ladder diagram of FIG. 15, the output signal [Y1
If [1] is not turned on, the ladder program returns to the previous step, and if there is an OR branch point (indicated by ● in the figure) in the middle, the steps of both branch paths A and B are Perform coverage diagnosis. In the case of the contact operation state shown in the ladder diagram of FIG. 15, coverage diagnosis is performed on each contact of the branch path A and the branch path B as described above, and the input contact X10 is turned on in the branch path A. Without
Therefore, it can be determined that the self-holding contact Y11 does not turn on in the branch path B and the result output signal [Y11] does not turn on.
As a result, the input contact X10 can be diagnosed as a faulty contact.

By the way, in the case of AND connection, when a plurality of defective contacts are matched, all chain operations are tracked.

For example, in the operation state of the ladder program shown in FIG. 16, the start point of cause tracking is determined by the output signal [Y1
1], the output signal [Y11] becomes AN
D contact b contact X10, internal relay contact R12, R
13, when it is detected that the internal relay contacts R12, R13 are off, the respective internal relay contacts R12, R1
3 internal relay coils [R13], [R14]
The cause is tracked.

In the cause tracing, a contact among a contacts and
Diagnosis is made with the b contact by logic as follows. For example, FIG.
In the operation state of the ladder program shown in (a), the reason why the output signal [Y10] does not turn on is that the a-contact X20 is not turned on in the AND connection between the a-contact X20 and the internal relay contact R9.

In the operation state of the ladder program shown in FIG. 17B, the output signal [Y10] is not turned on because b
In the AND connection between the contact X20 and the internal relay contact R9, it is diagnosed that the b contact X20 is not turned on.

Further, the rising edge of the input signal X (differential signal)
In a ladder program including the instruction DF, the cause is tracked in consideration of the instruction.

In other words, in the ladder program shown in the ladder diagram of FIG. 18, when the normal operation is performed, when the contact X20 is turned on as shown in FIG. 19A, the rising differential as shown in FIG. 19 (c), the internal relay coil [R10] is turned on, and as a result, the internal relay coil [R10] is self-held by the turning on of the internal relay contact R10, and the on state of the internal relay coil [R10] is held.

Therefore, even if the normal contact X20 is off,
When the internal relay coil [R10] is on, it can be determined that the contact X20 has operated normally. However, in the contact operating state of FIG. 18, the contact X20 and the internal relay coil [R1]
0] are off, the contact X20 does not normally turn on, so that it can be diagnosed that the internal relay coil [R10] did not turn on.

When displaying the cause contact of the malfunctioning operation on the display means 6 based on the result of the cause tracking / diagnosis described above, all the detected candidates of the cause contact of the malfunctioning operation are output to the outside.

For example, in the ladder program shown in the ladder diagram of FIG.
As a result of this detection, the cause tracking means 5 performs cause tracking, and as a result, for example, the input contact X10 does not turn on, the input contact X14 does not turn on, and the input contact X20 Do not turn on,
If it is diagnosed as a candidate for the cause of the malfunctioning operation, all of these are externally output as candidates for the cause contact,
The message shown in FIG.

By displaying in this manner, accurate diagnosis can be performed even when the cause of the malfunctioning operation (abnormality) cannot be limited to only one.

As described above, the display means 6 displays a message as a candidate of the contact point of the cause of the defect.
As shown in FIGS. 22 (a) and 22 (b), the display device 6 indicates a sensor, a contact position, and the like at a location corresponding to an abnormality.
May be displayed blinking on the image. * In the figure
Corresponds to the blinking point.

In this embodiment, when the equipment diagnostic device 3 is operated after setting the test conditions as shown in FIG.
In the equipment diagnosis apparatus 3, when a signal indicating the occurrence of an abnormality during control of the equipment (equipment 1) is sent from the sequencer 2 and a detection signal is input to the cause tracking means 5 through the detection means 4, the cause tracking means 5 Based on the tracking method, the cause is traced and the faulty contact is diagnosed, and the result of the diagnosis is displayed by the display means 6 in the form of a message or in a visual manner as described above. (Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, the ladder program is developed into an instruction list so as to be easily analyzed logically, and cause tracking / diagnosis is performed. However, each contact information is added to the instruction list (string). Attached) to facilitate diagnosis.

That is, the contact state at the start of the cause tracking shown in the ladder diagram of FIG. 23 is replaced with a binary logical value in the instruction list (FIG. 24) in which the ladder program is developed.
It is added as shown in FIG. That is, a logical value of "1" is added to a contact that is on and a logical value of "0" is added to a contact that is off.

In this way, when the cause tracking means 5 tracks the cause from the ladder program (in this case, the instruction list) and the contact information, the analysis is further facilitated. (Embodiment 3) In the first and second embodiments, the ladder program is developed into an instruction list at the time of cause tracking to make the ladder program logically easier to handle. On the contrary, in the present embodiment, the ladder program is executed by tracing back.
The instruction list is not expanded into an instruction list in a normal execution order as shown in FIG. 26A, but is expanded into an instruction list in which the execution order is reversed as shown in FIG. Needless to say, contact information is added to the command list as in the second embodiment.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the ladder program can be handled more logically, and the construction of the cause tracking algorithm becomes easy. (Embodiment 4) Although the ladder program is developed into an instruction list in the first to third embodiments to make it easier to handle the ladder program logically, if the instruction list becomes longer,
In this embodiment, when the ladder program is expanded into the instruction list as in the third embodiment, the processing from the OUT instruction to the LD instruction is expanded into the instruction list as one unit because it is difficult to construct the cause tracking algorithm. . Therefore, a long instruction list as shown in FIG.
As shown in (c), it is expanded into a plurality of instruction lists. This shortens each instruction list, and facilitates construction of an algorithm for tracking causes. (Embodiment 5) In the first embodiment, the equipment 1 is divided into a plurality of blocks to simplify the route of cause tracking. In the present embodiment, the block is divided into a plurality of blocks as shown in FIG. The unit of a related unit in the device 1 is divided into a plurality of blocks BL1... As one block, and from the OUT instruction to the LD instruction as one unit for each block BL1. An instruction list group G1... Obtained by expanding the instruction list L1.

Thus, in the present embodiment, a plurality of instruction lists can be grouped and inferred efficiently. (Embodiment 6) In the present embodiment, the groups G1... Of the instruction list corresponding to each block BL1.

That is, as shown in FIG. 30, the equipment 1 is divided into blocks BL1 to BL3 and a block BLk of a driving section of the equipment 1, and the blocks BL1 to BL3 are divided into blocks BL1 to BL3.
Ladder program No. 3 has no common part, but the ladder program of block BLk, which is a common part of blocks BL1 to BL3, is located above the ladder program of these blocks BL1 to BL3, for example, block BL
If an error occurs in step 1, the cause may be the drive unit of the block BLk. On the other hand, it is not caused by the independent blocks BL2 and BL3. Block BL
2. The same applies when an abnormality occurs in BL3.

Therefore, each of the blocks BL1 to BL3 and B
The Lk instruction list groups G1 to G3 and Gk can be hierarchized as shown.

In this embodiment, the complicated equipment 1
In addition, by classifying the blocks and by hierarchizing the instruction list groups corresponding to the blocks, when an abnormality occurs, the cause can be tracked and its diagnosis range can be limited, so that the diagnosis can be made more efficient. (Embodiment 7) In the equipment diagnosis apparatus 3 of Embodiment 1,
When an abnormality is detected, it is performed by repeatedly performing tracking according to a ladder program or the like. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 31, diagnosis is performed as a diagnosis base in the storage unit 7 of the equipment diagnosis apparatus 3 including a computer. And a cause tracking method, a failure contact diagnosis method, and a cause tracking algorithm 71 corresponding to the identification method thereof are stored together with a ladder program 72, and the cause tracking / diagnosis is performed in the rule base 7.
The ladder program 72 and the contact information are used based on the rule 0 and the abnormality tracking algorithm 71.

FIG. 32 is a flow chart of the operation process of the equipment diagnosis apparatus 3. Data of test conditions is input in advance from a keyboard, and if an abnormality is detected during equipment control, a cause tracking algorithm based on the rule base 70 is performed. 7
1 is traced, a diagnostic result obtained by the trace is generated, and a display means 6 comprising a monitor is used to generate a diagnosis result.
A visual display is performed as shown in FIG. Here, one of the plurality of detection methods described in the first embodiment
By selecting and setting one or more, if an abnormality occurrence is detected, the cause tracking / diagnosis is started if the trigger is based on the detection method selected and set, and efficient operation and It enables efficient cause tracking and diagnosis.

The rule base 7 used for diagnosis here
0 implements the following rules. That is, when the IF-THEN rule is used as a rule, for example, when the cylinder 100 shown in FIG. 34 is in a fixed position, the reed switch 101A is turned on and the cylinder 100 operates,
The reed switch 101A turns off, and when the operation is completed, the reed switch 101B turns on.

If the cylinder 100 does not operate normally, the reed switch 100A is turned off.
There is a phenomenon that B does not turn on.

In response to this phenomenon, for example, IF X15
The rule of = OFF THEN is stored in the rule base 70 in correspondence with the phenomenon that the reed switch 101B of the cylinder 100 has not been turned on.

For example, if a rule of IF X10 = off THEN is stored in the rule base 70 in response to the phenomenon that the sensor did not turn on, a problem that the input contact X10 corresponding to the sensor would not turn on would occur. In this case, it can be determined that the sensor has not been turned on.

If the rules corresponding to the respective phenomena of the defect are stored in the rule base 70 in this way, advanced diagnosis can be performed at high speed by the rules stored in the rule base 70.

By the way, the cause tracking means 5 generates a diagnosis result based on the rule stored in the rule base 70 as described above and the result of detecting the abnormal contact. Are displayed with priorities.

For example, from three rules, the sensor is not turned on.

The reed switch of the cylinder is not turned on or the cylinder is not operating.

The reed switch of another cylinder is not turned on or another cylinder is not operating. If the diagnosis result is obtained, if any of the three diagnosis results has a lot of troubles, the message is displayed preferentially on the display means 6, or the message having a high possibility of an abnormal cause is displayed as a message. Or at the top of the

As described above, the diagnosis results are displayed with the priorities displayed, so that the operator can easily understand the diagnosis results and can easily take measures for restoring the abnormal state.

In this embodiment, the ladder program is stored in the instruction list by any of the methods described in the first to sixth embodiments so that the cause of the failure can be logically inferred in real time. It is expanded so that it can be analyzed logically. The method of expanding the instruction list will be omitted here with reference to the description of the first to sixth embodiments.

(Eighth Embodiment) In the seventh embodiment, although the equipment diagnosis device 3 constituted by a computer is used, the cause tracking / diagnosis is performed by using the CPU of the sequencer 2, and the sequencer 2 itself is used. The display device 6 is connected to the sequencer 2 and a storage means 7 for storing a cause tracking algorithm 71, a rule base 70, and a ladder program 72 is provided.

Note that the CPU of the sequencer 2 may be a multi-CPU, one of the CPUs may be used for sequence control, and the other may be used for tracking and diagnosing the cause. good.

[0096] The method of tracking and diagnosing the cause is the same as that of the seventh embodiment, and the description is omitted here.

[0097]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the detecting means detects that an abnormality has occurred while the equipment is operating, the detecting means outputs the output from the detecting means. The cause of the abnormality is tracked and diagnosed by the cause tracing means based on the ladder program of the sequencer and the contact information with the detected signal as a trigger, and the cause of the abnormality is displayed on the display means as the diagnosis result, and the storage means Even if a trouble occurs in the equipment, the cause of the trouble (abnormality) can be tracked and diagnosed with high reliability and promptly, and as a result, the trouble of the equipment can be easily recovered. There is an effect that the time required for trouble recovery can be shortened and the maintainability can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, in the step of tracking the contact point of the cause from the ladder program and the contact information using the detection signal as a trigger, The tracking is started from the output command of the ladder program as a trigger, and if there is an internal relay, the process of tracking the internal relay coil is repeated, so that the reliability of diagnosis is improved in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1. This has the effect.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, in the step of tracking the contact point of the cause from the ladder program and the contact information by using the detection signal as a trigger, In the case of OR branching, all chained operations are branched and traced, so that in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, there is an effect that the reliability of diagnosis is further improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, in the step of tracking the point of contact from the ladder program and the contact information using the detection signal as a trigger, the ladder program If there is a plurality of defective contacts due to AND connection, all chain operations are tracked, so that in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, the reliability of diagnosis is further improved and the accuracy of diagnosis is improved. There is an effect that can be.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the cause tracking means determines a faulty contact in the process of tracking the cause contact from the ladder program and the contact information by using the detection signal as a trigger. In this case, since the determination is made in consideration of the rising command of the input signal, in addition to the effect of the second aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that erroneous diagnosis can be avoided and reliability can be further improved.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the cause tracking means determines a faulty contact in the process of tracking a cause contact from the ladder program and the contact information by using the detection signal as a trigger. A
Since the determination is made in consideration of the logic of turning off the contact and the logic of turning on the contact b, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 2, the effects of avoiding erroneous diagnosis and further improving the reliability can be achieved. is there.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the cause is traced within the limited range by limiting the range when the cause of the abnormality is traced by the cause tracking means. In addition to the effects of the invention, the route of cause tracking can be simplified, and as a result, the efficiency of cause tracking and diagnosis can be improved.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, after the cause tracing means traces the contact of the cause from the ladder program and the contact information by using the detection signal as a trigger, the defective contact is displayed on the display means. In the process of displaying, the information of all the faulty contacts is output to the outside, so that in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, there is an effect that accurate diagnosis is possible even when the cause of the abnormality cannot be limited to only one. .

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, a rule used when diagnosing a faulty contact point and a cause of the abnormality is an IF-THEN rule, and a rule base is constructed by the rule. In addition to the effect of the invention of claim 8, there is an effect that advanced diagnosis can be performed at high speed.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the eighth aspect of the present invention, a defective portion corresponding to a defective contact is visualized and displayed on the display means. ) The location of occurrence is visualized and easy to understand, so that there is an effect that trouble recovery becomes easy.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, a diagnostic result is generated based on the detected result and a diagnostic rule predetermined in a rule base. Because it outputs with ranking,
In addition to the effect of the invention of claim 8, there is an effect that the diagnosis result can be presented to the worker in an easily understandable manner, and as a result, trouble recovery becomes easy.

[0108] According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the equipment is a cylinder, and means for judging overtime of the cylinder operation from the fact that the contact operating at the end of the cylinder operation does not operate is detected. Since it is used as a means, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, there is an effect that erroneous diagnosis can be avoided and reliability can be improved.

According to a thirteenth aspect, in the first aspect, when diagnosing the cause of the abnormality in real time from the ladder program of the sequencer and the contact information,
Since the ladder program is expanded into an instruction list, there is an effect that logical inference can be performed in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the thirteenth aspect, when the on state or the off state of the contact is replaced with a binary logical value, and the ladder program is expanded into an instruction list, the contact list is added to the instruction list. Since the logical value is added in accordance with the above condition, in addition to the effect of the thirteenth aspect, there is an effect that the cause tracking / diagnosis becomes easy.

According to a fifteenth aspect, in the thirteenth aspect, the on state or the off state of the contact is replaced with a binary logical value, and when the ladder program is developed in the instruction list, the contact list of the instruction is added to the instruction list. The ladder program is added to the instruction list in the execution order opposite to the execution order in the added state, and the ladder program is added to the logic value in accordance with the state. And the construction of the algorithm becomes easy.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the fifteenth aspect, as the instruction list in the reverse execution order, an instruction list for each unit is developed from the output instruction to the logical operation start instruction as one unit. In addition to the effect of claim 15, there is an effect that the construction of the algorithm is further facilitated.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the one unit is grouped for each block of the equipment to limit the unit of cause for cause tracking.
In addition to the effect of the sixteenth aspect, there is an effect that inference can be efficiently performed.

According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the seventeenth aspect, since the groups have a hierarchical structure, the range of diagnosis of complicated equipment can be limited, and as a result, the efficiency of diagnosis can be improved.

According to a nineteenth aspect, in the first aspect, the detecting means monitors an input / output signal in real time and detects a detection signal when a specific output signal is not output. Since the trigger signal is given to the cause tracking means, automatic diagnosis can be performed in real time in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the detecting means sends a detection signal to the cause tracking means as a trigger signal when detecting that the equipment has stopped abnormally. In addition to the effects of the invention, automatic diagnosis can be performed in real time.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the detecting means monitors an input / output signal in real time and detects that a specific output signal deviates from a predetermined reference pattern. Since the detection signal is supplied to the cause tracking means as a trigger signal, automatic diagnosis can be performed in real time in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, a block of equipment to be diagnosed and the contents of the diagnosis are set as test conditions in real time before execution of cause tracking. In addition to the effects, there is an effect that efficient operation of the equipment diagnosis apparatus and efficient execution of cause tracking and diagnosis are possible.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when an abnormality is detected during the control of the equipment, a trigger is issued to the cause tracking means to execute the diagnosis. Since one or more are selected and set, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, there is an effect that efficient operation of the equipment diagnosis device and efficient execution of cause tracking and diagnosis are possible.

A twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to equipment which operates under sequence control by a sequencer, detecting means for detecting when an abnormality occurs during the operation of the equipment, and detecting a detection signal of the detection means. A cause tracking means for tracing the cause of the abnormality as a trigger by using the ladder program and the contact information, a storage means for storing the cause of the abnormality and a ladder program which are tracked and diagnosed by the cause tracking means, and a display of the cause of the abnormality Since it consists of display means, even if a trouble occurs in the equipment, the cause of the trouble (abnormality) can be tracked and diagnosed promptly, and as a result, the trouble of the equipment can be easily recovered, and the trouble of the equipment can be recovered This makes it possible to provide a facility diagnosis apparatus that can reduce the time required for the maintenance and improve the maintainability.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the twenty-fourth aspect, an algorithm of a faulty contact diagnosis method, a faulty contact characteristic method, and a cause tracking method for inferring a ladder program, and a knowledge base comprising rules for diagnosis The cause tracking means performs the cause tracking and diagnosis with a ladder program and contact information based on the rule of the knowledge veil and the algorithm with the detection signal of the detection means as a trigger, In addition to the effects of the twenty-fourth invention, it is possible to provide a facility diagnosis apparatus capable of performing advanced cause tracking and diagnosis.

According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-fifth aspect, the algorithm and the knowledge base are implemented in a sequencer, and the cause tracking means and the detection means are constituted by the arithmetic processing means of the sequencer.
In addition to the effect of the twenty-fifth aspect, there is an effect that the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system including a facility diagnostic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system including the equipment diagnostic device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the equipment diagnostic device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an instruction list expansion of a ladder program in the equipment diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a cause tracking method in the equipment diagnostic device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a ladder diagram showing an example of a ladder program for each block of the above equipment.

FIG. 7 is a time chart of an example of an output signal in a normal state in the equipment diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a time chart of an example of an output signal at the time of occurrence of an abnormality in the equipment diagnostic device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a time chart of an output signal example in a normal state in the equipment diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a time chart of an example of an output signal when an abnormality occurs in the diagnostic device of the above.

FIG. 11 is a structural example diagram of a cylinder as the equipment device of the above.

FIG. 12 is a ladder diagram to which contact information of a ladder program for controlling the cylinder in FIG. 11 is added.

FIG. 13 is a time chart for explaining an operation of controlling the cylinder in FIG.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of another example of the cause tracking method in the equipment diagnostic device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of another example of a cause tracking method in the equipment diagnostic device of the above.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of still another example of the cause tracking method in the equipment diagnostic device of the above.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of the logic of the “a” contact and the “b” contact in the cause tracing in the equipment diagnostic device of the above.

FIG. 18 is a ladder diagram corresponding to an example of a ladder program to be diagnosed according to the embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a time chart for explaining the operation of each contact in the ladder program of the above.

FIG. 20 is a ladder diagram corresponding to an example of a ladder program to be diagnosed according to the embodiment;

21 is an explanatory diagram of an output example of a diagnosis result of the ladder program example in FIG. 20 of the above.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of a display example of a cause tracking / diagnosis result of the above.

FIG. 23 is a ladder diagram of an example of a ladder program for explaining instruction list expansion of the ladder program according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a development example diagram of a normal instruction list.

FIG. 25 is an example of instruction list expansion of a ladder program according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram of an instruction list expansion of a ladder program according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an instruction list expansion comparative example for explaining an instruction list expansion according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a development example diagram of the above instruction list.

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a relation between an instruction list and equipment blocks according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating a relation between a group of instruction lists and blocks of equipment according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is a system configuration diagram using the equipment diagnosis apparatus according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the above.

FIG. 33 is a view showing an example of display by the display means of the above.

FIG. 34 is an explanatory diagram of rules stored in a rule base used in the Embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a system configuration diagram using the equipment diagnosis apparatus according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Facility equipment 2 Sequencer 3 Facility diagnostic device 4 Detecting means 5 Cause tracking means 6 Display means 7 Storage means

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5H220 BB09 CC03 CC05 DD04 JJ12 JJ28 JJ34 JJ42 KK08 LL07 5H223 CC03 CC08 DD03 EE05 EE19 FF06

Claims (26)

[Claims] An apparatus which operates under sequence control by a sequencer is targeted. When a detecting means detects that an abnormality has occurred while the equipment is operating, a detection signal output from the detecting means is used as a trigger. The cause of the abnormality is tracked and diagnosed by the cause tracking means based on the ladder program of the sequencer and the contact information, and the cause of the abnormality is displayed on the display means as the diagnosis result and stored in the storage means. Ladder program diagnosis method. 2. A process in which the cause tracking means starts tracking from an output command of the ladder program by using the detection signal as a trigger in a process of tracking a cause contact from the ladder program and the contact information using the detection signal as a trigger. 2. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 1, further comprising, if there is an internal relay, repeating a process of tracking the internal relay coil. 3. In a process in which the cause tracking means tracks a contact point of a cause from the ladder program and the contact information using the detection signal as a trigger, if the ladder program is OR-branched, all chain operations are performed. 3. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 2, wherein branching and tracking are performed. 4. A process in which the cause tracing means traces a contact of a cause from the ladder program and the contact information by using the detection signal as a trigger. 3. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 2, wherein all chained actions are tracked when the ladder program is executed. 5. In the step of tracking a contact of a cause from the ladder program and the contact information using the detection signal as a trigger, the cause tracking means determines a defective contact by taking into account a rising command of an input signal. 3. The method for diagnosing a ladder program according to claim 2, wherein: 6. A logic for turning off an a contact, a b contact and a b contact in determining a faulty contact in a process in which the cause tracking means tracks a contact of a cause from the ladder program and the contact information by using the detection signal as a trigger. 3. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 2, wherein the determination is made in consideration of an ON logic of the ladder program. 7. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein a range when the cause of the abnormality is tracked by the cause tracking means is limited, and the cause is tracked within the limited range. 8. A process in which said cause tracking means displays a malfunctioning contact on said display means after tracking a cause contact from said ladder program and said contact information using said detection signal as a trigger, and detects a malfunction contact. If
2. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein information on all faulty contacts is externally output. 9. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 8, wherein a rule used when diagnosing the faulty contact point and the cause of the abnormality is an IF to THEN rule, and a rule base is constructed based on the rule. . 10. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 8, wherein a defective portion corresponding to the defective contact is visualized and displayed on said display means. 11. A diagnostic result is generated based on a detected result and a diagnostic rule predetermined in a rule base, and when there are a plurality of generated diagnostic results, the diagnostic results are assigned priorities and output. Item 9. The ladder program diagnosis method according to item 8. 12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said equipment is a cylinder, and means for judging the overtime of the cylinder operation based on the fact that a contact operating at the end of operation of the cylinder does not operate is used as detection means. The ladder program diagnostic method described. 13. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein when diagnosing the cause of the abnormality in real time based on the ladder program of the sequencer and the contact information, the ladder program is developed in an instruction list. 14. An on-state or off-state of a contact is replaced with a binary logical value, and when the ladder program is expanded into an instruction list, the logical value is added to the instruction list in accordance with the state of the contact. 14. The method for diagnosing a ladder program according to claim 13, comprising: 15. An on-state or off-state of a contact is replaced with a binary logical value, and when the ladder program is expanded into an instruction list, the logical value is added to the instruction list in accordance with the state of the contact, 14. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 13, wherein the ladder program is expanded into an instruction list in an execution order opposite to the execution order in the state where the ladder program is added. 16. The instruction list in the reverse execution order includes:
16. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 15, wherein an instruction list for each unit is developed with the output instruction to the logical operation start instruction as one unit. 17. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 16, wherein said one unit is grouped for each block of equipment and a unit of cause of cause tracking is limited. 18. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 17, wherein said groups have a hierarchical structure. 19. The detecting means monitors an input / output signal in real time and, when detecting that a specific output signal is not output, supplies the detected signal as a trigger signal to the cause tracking means. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein 20. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means supplies a detection signal as a trigger signal to the cause tracking means when detecting that the equipment has stopped abnormally. 21. The detecting means monitors an input / output signal in real time and, when detecting that a specific output signal deviates from a predetermined reference pattern, supplies the detection signal to the cause tracking means as a trigger signal. 2. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein: 22. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein a block of the equipment to be diagnosed in real time and contents of the diagnosis are set as test conditions before executing the cause tracking. 23. When an abnormality is detected during control of equipment, one or more contents for executing a diagnosis by triggering the cause tracking means are selected and set. The ladder program diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein 24. A device for operating equipment which operates by sequence control by a sequencer, which detects when an abnormality occurs during the operation of the equipment, and a cause of the abnormality triggered by a detection signal of the detection means as a trigger. Tracking means for tracking the error by using a ladder program and contact information, a storage means for storing the cause of the abnormality and a ladder program which are tracked and diagnosed by the cause tracking means, and a display means for displaying the cause of the abnormality. A facility diagnostic device characterized by the above-mentioned. 25. An algorithm of a faulty contact diagnosis method, a faulty contact characteristic method, and a cause tracking method for inferring a ladder program, and a knowledge base comprising rules for diagnosis are mounted. 25. The equipment diagnosis apparatus according to claim 24, wherein a cause tracing and diagnosis are performed by a ladder program and contact information based on the rule of the knowledge veil and the algorithm, using a detection signal of the means as a trigger. 26. The equipment diagnosis apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said algorithm and knowledge base are mounted on a sequencer, and said cause tracking means and detection means are constituted by arithmetic processing means of the sequencer.